Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Cornerstone Part 1

It's been a busy few weeks as this blog and many others have followed the resignation of Sarah Palin from the governorship of Alaska. At times, inevitably, we've strayed from the central purpose of this blog and website, which is to document, analyze and archive the considerable extant evidence that Ex-Gov. Palin faked a pregnancy in spring of 2008.

But all pendulums swing back. I have numerous posts in the "in the works," but something I read yesterday made me put aside all the other things I am working on and write this. On another site, I ran across a reference to this blog, and, specifically, a reference to me. Audrey, it was claimed, is a "nutbar." And why? Because apparently, according to this individual, I have continued to pursue the baby story even though the birth of Tripp Johnston PROVES that Bristol Palin cannot be Trig's mother. And that, in turn, PROVES that Sarah must be.

It occurred to me that this really is the cornerstone of everything. Just as Bristol's pregnancy during the campaign "proved" that Sarah is Trig's mother, now Tripp's existence proves the same thing. I'd like to use this post to look at this "cornerstone" in great depth. Before I even start, though, I do want to apologize for the length of this post. It's quite long, with a good deal of embedded video and pictures. Although the final section is the most critical, I have made the decision to split it into two sections. The second section will be published tomorrow.

The premise, that the existence of Tripp Johnston proves that Sarah must be Trig's mother, is absurd. Just off the bat, this statement ignores three other possibilities.

First, Bristol always was (and I believe remains) the most likely possibility for the "other mother" for numerous reasons that have been discussed extensively elsewhere. However, I have never taken the position that Bristol was the only option and I still don't.

Second, numerous people have commented that Trig Palin appeared older than 4 ½ months at the RNC in September 2008. I am not willing to go "on record" saying I agree with this, but I certainly do not disagree. In photos of him from the RNC, he does look large and mature for a 4 ½ month old baby, born five weeks early, particularly given that – in general – Down Syndrome babies have poorer muscle tone and slower development than non Down Syndrome babies.

I was struck by this again when watching the video that Sarah Palin did for the Special Olympics some time last January: Trig, to me and many others, looks older than nine months.

This opens the possibility that Trig Palin was born earlier than announced. If true, this would allow Bristol to be mother to both children.

Third, the possibility must be considered that the entire pregnancy during the campaign was not "as reported" and it is on this possibility that I wish to focus this post. I believe that while there certainly is "proof" that Bristol was pregnant during the campaign and now has a child named Tripp Johnston in her care, I also think that a careful analysis of the evidence raises valid questions and, shall we say, curiosities. I know – I can hear the screams from here. Holey MOLEY! Now she thinks Bristol's pregnancy was faked? She's gone off the deep end.

Frankly, I don't know what to think. But in my thought process the other day, as I realized that Tripp Johnston's birth date and existence is the "cornerstone" of the "Trig is Sarah's" camp, I decided to take another look – a long look – at all the evidence, pro and con, regarding Bristol's pregnancy which allegedly culminated in the birth of Tripp Johnston on 12/27.

The initial response among many of my readers regarding the pregnancy, after all, was a great deal of skepticism. Many wrote to me asserting that it was faked, a position that, at the time, I did NOT agree with (thought I believed it was not as far along as it was stated.) Once Tripp showed up, we simply buried everything that was wrong with the "Bristol is pregnant" story from the beginning. We ignored the discrepancies with the birth story, the extremely fortuitous timing, everything that had been bothering a lot of us all along.

While there certainly is evidence – very hard to ignore evidence – that Bristol was pregnant and had a baby, there is also evidence to the contrary that is just plain puzzling and does not add up.

I am going to list the evidence – as I see it. As I have said so often in the past, you will need to decide. Is Audrey really the "nutbar" she has been made out to be, or just might there be something here?

Evidence which supports Bristol being pregnant, commencing in spring 2008 and culminating with the birth of Tripp Johnston on December 27, 2008.

1. There is a baby, who has been presented to the media on numerous occasions as Tripp Johnston. He appears to be the correct age (more or less) for having been born on 12/27/08. This is obviously very compelling. However, it must be pointed out that it is possible to obtain a baby other ways, first (legally and permanently) via adoption and second, via borrowing a child on numerous occasions. Both scenarios would be very risky in terms of being exposed. But either one is POSSIBLE, and that is a fact.2. Photographs of Bristol Palin, taken on the day that John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate show an appearance consistent with her being in early pregnancy, though in many photographs she is covered with a baby blanket so it's difficult to ascertain accurately. (Of course, just the fact that they covered her would also tend to prove the point.) As no announcement had yet been made, this is very persuasive.

3. Levi Johnston has appeared in photographs taken in 2009 with a baby who appears to be the same baby that Bristol has appeared with on numerous occasions. Just last week he has confirmed the outlines of the timing of Bristol's pregnancy with the Anchorage Press. If one is going to allege that there has been any fraud regarding Bristol's pregnancy, Levi Johnston is in on the deception and is actively maintaining it at this point.

4. Photographs of Bristol taken mid- February, 2009 show a midsection consistent with a "post partum" appearance.

5. A Washington Times blogger reported seeing Bristol Palin poolside on the day after the election, appearing quite pregnant. The blogger, someone whose other work shows no great interest in, support for, or dislike of Sarah Palin, mentioned it seemingly randomly. This non-scripted sighting of Bristol is very credible. It's hard to imagine a teen agreeing to appear at a pool wearing only a t-shirt in some sort of pregnancy "appliance."

Evidence which I believe is "inconclusive" in supporting the pregnancy.

Numerous people in Wasilla reported knowing that Bristol was pregnant. But the dating in and of itself is more problematic. If one is going to use "people in Wasilla knew Bristol was pregnant" (more on this below) as proof of the reported Tripp pregnancy, it's hard to justify picking and choosing among the reports that she was pregnant much earlier, reports that would disprove the Tripp pregnancy.

In fact, reports, in Wasilla, of Bristol being pregnant go back into 2007. One rumor was posted publicly to the Internet on April 8, 2008, and outlines the story exactly: Bristol was pregnant and not in school, Sarah was not pregnant, Sarah was faking to cover for her daughter. Based on a due date of 12/27, there is no way that that pregnancy could have been known in Wasilla as early as early April.

Sue Williams, a Wasilla caterer, reported to the press that Bristol was pregnant before it was announced by the McCain campaign, so I believe she must be taken seriously. The problem is that her dates do not jibe with what was later claimed (i.e, a pregnancy that could not be known publicly prior to May, 2008.) In fact, her "dating" corresponds exactly to the reddit report, above: she claimed to have heard that Bristol was pregnant in early April (and it was, at this point, not whispers from adults but being bandied about by a middle-schooler.) She makes a point of saying that this meant that Bristol and Sarah were pregnant simultaneously, and she asserts that as of the RNC, Bristol was late in her third trimester and almost ready to deliver. Obviously, that did not turn out to be true.

Sarah Palin herself mentioned the "Bristol is pregnant" rumors to Bill McAllister, then a KTUU reporter and later her press secretary, before March 2008. She denied them, but she did know about them and talk about them to someone else.

32 comments:

Thank you for addressing this, Audrey. I've also begun to see this as a fundamental issue. My theory is Bristol gave birth to TriPP in late January 2009, and gave birth to TriG before April 18, 2008--meaning Sarah lied about both birthdates and one mother. I look forward to reading Part 2.

Audrey, I will be anxious to read the post tomorrow; I like where this line of thinking is going. Immediately upon starting to read this post, reflections and thoughts I had months ago about Bristol's pregnancy came back; these don't prove anything and may be used in favor really of either theory, however, Bristol's pregnancy was announced to the world, in the spirit of it is unfortunate timing but the family would support she and Levi, but then Bristol and Levi were almost never seen again during the campaign. When Bristol was photographed, it was always from a distance, and from the clothing she was wearing, etc., it was hard to tell anything about her body. These include (supposedly) Bristol emerging from an SUV in New York the night of the appearance by Sarah Palin on SNL. Bristol was not paraded across the stage at any of the campaign stops. She was reportd to be 4 1/2 months, so usually morning sickness which might preclude appearing or travelling would have been over or very minimal; she was not far enough along to prohibit travel. Levi disappeared (obstensibly to work?)! Bristol's appearance at the RNC could have been early pregnancy or as we postulated at the time, postpartum, or as we also observed from the strange dress/bodice - fake. Just thinking out loud - maybe that is what you intend for us to do by this blog post?

Dreamer said...I went to http://marriagelicensesearch.net/ and put in Levi Johnston...one of them is Levi K. Johnston, from WASILLA...(you have to pay to get more info...)August 12, 2009 11:26 AM

Good find! I think his middle name is Keith, his dad's name. Knowing the date would be pretty revealing. Was it just a license for last January, but instead they broke up? Or was it before TriG's official birthdate in 2008, further explaining why Sherry was happy about the TriPP pregnancy?

The Star article is interesting but Mercede can't really add much new since she gets her info from Levi, and he already said the marriage was troubled.

I used my cousin's name as his is somewhat unique. He is 24 and very much unmarried. He's never even had a serious romance.

He appears on the list.

Besides, the site may more or less be a scam. As they state in regards to ALL records:"Merely because a name appears on the list above does NOT mean such persons has a criminal record. The above list merely shows all persons in the data source with that name. To determine whether a listed name has a criminal record, a user must click on the Proceed Now option and sign up for CIS Worldwide services."

Someone pay to get more info on Levi. STAT. I know nothing about child development and I think it was mentioned earlier, but is it within the realm of possibility for a nine month old Down Syndrome baby to be able to play patty cakes? And it seemed that SP was trying to stop him from continuing. Or I really have gone nuts. Somehow I think that someone pulled out of the "Big Lie" causing SP to have to resign - or else. She didn't do anything to protect her family; everything she has done is solely for her benefit.

Audrey, there is a picture with Bristol in jeans and a brown jacket zipped up dated 07-19-08, by a newspaper. Put that aside one from the photo-op when Levi arrived (skirt/jacket) and then that stuffed dress and I bet it shows that Bristol gained an extreme amount of body weight in about 6 weeks...3 pics...and then I remember another picture behind the scenes later that Bristol wasn't as big (I don't remember the date). But I am sure I noticed on pics that either Megan McCain had or Patrick on the flicker account.

B--I checked out the http://marriagelicensesearch.net/website. I knew that Alaska birth and marriage licenses are kept private for 50 years, so I kept looking on the website and found this:

Alaska Marriage License Records Search Tips

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is responsible for public marriage license records. All marriage records are sealed for 50 years.

The family history and genealogy researchers, legal aids, adoptee, etc. have been helped a lot by the search of public records. Within the state of Alaska, marriage records are sealed for 50 years without a court order. If you need to request marriage records before then, you will need to provide adequate reasons and have these reasons verified before a judge. You are required to fill out the suitable form and make payment of the request fee of $20.

This appears to be a "people search" type of website that gives you public information for a fee. However, because birth and marriage records in Alaska are NOT public, they will not be included in the information provided by the site.

I recently realized that Bristol's court date on 1/19/08 was a SATURDAY. This was her minor speeding ticket (4-9 mph over) she got on 8/6/07 which was continued several times until finally heard on 1/19/08.Does the Alaskan juvenile court system hold hearings on Saturdays??? Or is that only for a privileged pregnant Governor’s daughter? Can someone please check on that and let me know?

This is speculation on my part:if Levi and Bristol did get married, that would explain(1) why Levi lived at the Palins' house, (2) why Bristol could have "forbidden" Levi to talk to Mercede, (3) why he wore a ring in the picture with Bristol sleeping,(4)why he had Bristol tatoo'd on his finger when he lost the ring,(5) the story about him getting his wedding ring stuck on his thumb,(6)why he had no fear of retribution for talking about the Palins' marriage and the reasons for SP's resignation--if he and Bristol are married, the Palins can't keep Tripp from him without a court fight,(7)why Palin doesn't "punish" Levi directly (as opposed to people close to Levi possibly being "punished")

I wish Alaska marriage records were public. The divorce records are public as part of the court system. There is no divorce in Levi's public court records as of tonight.

Tripp was not presented until mid Feb. and no hospital announcement was made. He very well could have been born in Jan. $P proves nothing. Her word is worth nothing since she has been caught lying many times and she is lacking in character.

One more question I am putting out there if someone should happen to know, or suggest how I can find out:Is it possible to get a copy of Todd's flight log for January and February 2008? Would the FAA have the flight logs from that far back? If he were to fly from Wasilla to Fairbanks, wouldn't he have to submit a flight plan? Or being First Dude, would that make him exempt?

As I just wrote on the previous post, I have gone from thinking Trig was born on April 17 - thus their inability to show a birth certificate even if Sarah and Todd adopted Trig - to being fully on board with a much earlier birth date.

The birth of a 35-week infant with Down's and a minor heart defect is completely incompatible with the story that Trig was released and taken out in public two or three days after birth.

And all we need is 10 months. Tripp, therefore, could be born on 12/27 if he likes, and I have sort of scratched my head in puzzlement and conceded that perhaps he was...because his size and development are consistent with that. But the puzzlement comes from the strange way that they kept him hidden for 6 weeks or more rather than show him IMMEDIATELY as they should have done. Keeping him hidden when it was crucial that he appear as soon as possible never has made any sense to me.

Your extensive research may already have this, but I want to suggest contacting Elizabeth Eubanks, it appears she took several photos of Palin at the airport when she ran in to her on April 27th 2008. More evidence is always good. See Eubanks' blog about this at:http://www.polartrec.com/node/3944Not that hard to track down contact info, I suspect you'll find an address in Lake Worth, FL, for her but if you have trouble finding it let me know, glad to help.

as you all can easily tell, $P has chosen (or chosen for her by the powers-that-be behind the scene) to release GHOSTWRITTEN press releases instead of continuing to make our ears bleed and our brain hurt with her babble. her latest even has footnotes!

here's GAWKER's take:

"So who's writing Sarah's Facebook notes? Whoever it is, they're being enlisted to perform these services is obviously part of a diabolical plan to rehabilitate Palin's image as a staggering dipshit. However, they really should have eased into it."

I already contacted that Elizabeth Eubanks woman who ran into Palin, and she was fairly dismissive and just said she "saw what she saw" and that Palin was pg. Course, the media at the time was all abuzz with the pg news, so she may have only seen what she thought she saw.... (if that makes sense).

LisanTX: I have two more reasons to add to yours ("if Levi and Bristol did get married, that would explain"):

(8) The British tabloid interview that quotes Sherry saying that Bristol's announcement of her Tripp pregnancy was greeted with Palin family giggles, waving around of the test stick, and teasing.

In contrast to the "worse than labor" description of how it felt for Bristol to tell parents -- her quote in the Greta video. But we have long speculated that Bristol got her announcement stories switched -- or switched them on purpose, to suit the SP party line.

Also, I seem to recall in that Brit tab piece that Sherry said SP teased Bristol/Levi about not getting pregnant -- something that seems credible only if they were married, unthinkable if they were not (in view of the abstinence policy).

I have once again lost that photo of Bristol and Levi sleeping on bus (with ring on Levi) and the link to the Brit tabloid. I anyone has it handy, I'd be grateful for a link.

Plus I have another reason to add to your list:

(9) On this LKL (at 0:48), when LKL asks Sherry if she was upset at the Tripp pregnancy, she pauses, exchanges a look with Levi, says no, and gives a weak reason -- if it was an unwed pregnancy. Her response sounds odd -- unless they were married.

Looking at all the pictures on Meghan McCain's blog, it seems very clear to me that Bristol was pregnant the day of the VP announcement. The draped blanket across her belly, the baggy dress, the way she's hunched over with her arms crossed in front of her whenever she's not holding Trig all add up to hiding her belly.

But I am now convinced the birthdates are wrong. It's amazing to me how people will acknowledge that Palin lies about so many things, large and small, but must be telling the truth about this. Now that's crazy.

A couple of things. I don't think that first picture of Trig is from the RNC time. For some reason, I think it is from that Christmas video she did inside that hangar. Second, the thing that has LONG bothered me, that no one else has mentioned, is how much bigger Trig appeared at the debate, as compared to the RNC exactly one month earlier. There was a baby in the blue/black striped outfit, to me probably hearing impaired, staring at the bright lights and not phased by the screaming crowd. That was in August. Then, only one month later, there was this very large baby with a large, sweaty head and a fat belly hanging over the pants that literally dug into his waistline. I actually said to a friend, who is a doctor, that the baby was actually someone else (what are the chances of that!) or that he had some sort of metabolic problem. It simply made no sense. Also too, the subsequent photos of Trig always make him look so much older than he was proclaimed. I had a five pound baby delivered at 8 months and I'll tell you, he hovered in the 10th percentile for a long time. I took a picture of him on the same day every month and he never grew THAT much in just one month. Keep up the excellent work. I think you're on to something.

Why was the special olympics video shot in Piper's bedroom instead of Trig's bedroom? It is about Trig, not Piper! Could it be because Trig doesn't have his own bedroom -- he shares with his mother -- Bristol?!

Personally, I think Tripp was born later than announced and Trig was born earlier than announced. If so, Bristol could be Mother to both. I don't think Sarah would fake a pregnancy for anyone but Bristol and then only if it benefited her by protecting or furthering her political career. If there wasn't something in it for Sarah, she wouldn't do it. Nope. Not even if it was Sherry's baby and Track was the Father.

You might want to check the Palin friends like Lynn Gattis and the Gattis Strip (airport) private. http://blow-pop-palin4.blogspot.com/2009/07/who-are-they.html My experience with the elite and private flights is that not everything is logged.

Audrey has posted an interesting review and analysis, but there are two critical points to consider:

1) In a complex ruse such as a faked pregnancy, muddying the waters is a critical element. The fewer facts people can pin down the better.

2) Without subpeona power for documents, testimony and hearsay comments are virtually worthless. The statements could (and likely are) wrong intentionally or unintentionally.

Since Bristol's pregnancy came after the alleged faked one, and was necessarily rolled into the the scheme in September, its inconsistencies derive only from predicate scheme. By itself, there is little to question in Bristol's gestation and delivery. Statements regarding when and how individuals learned about it, as described above, could be wrong.

What we know for sure is that Bristol's pregnancy was not "common knowledge" around Wasilla in the summer of 2008. If it were, we would have found evidence of it before the widely-held theory that SP had faked for Bristol gain circulation. With thousands of people searching the topic, someone would have found gossip on boards. Further, I find it unlikely that the pregnancy of the governor's daughter could have been known in Wasilla but not widely known through the rest of the state and mentioned somewhere in the media or blogosphere. It's simply too juicy. They probably kept it quiet.

But rolling outright falsehoods in Bristol pregnancy unnecessarily risks the earlier ruse being detected. Letting the pregnancy play out as is, then allowing the fog to spread, is a better plan, particularly if Bristol is not, in fact, Trig's mother. It keeps anyone who is following it trapped on the rabbit hunt.

So while I applaud Audrey's efforts, and can confirm that she's not a "nutbar", any focus on Bristol and her probably legit pregnancy plays into the scheme.

We can, however, legitimately pursue questions about Bristol's Jan-Jun 2008 school absence, which is puzzling. It is jumping to conclusions that she was either pregnant then or had recently given birth to a premie. I agree that there were rumors prior to Trig's birth of a Bristol pregnancy, but those rumors could have developed to explain her absence; they don't prove she actually was pregnant.

We can speculate all we want on flimsy evidence, but hard evidence exists and we should join Andrew Sullivan by calling for its release. Absent that evidence, anybody calling us "nutbars" or similar better be ready to explain how a woman knowingly goes into labor in Texas but gives birth in Alaska the next day without first having a medical exam and clearance to travel.

We demand that anyone who questions our conclusion prove that Sarah Palin gave birth to that child. If they respond that they don't have to, that we have to prove otherwise, then they are the nutbars, not us.

"it appears she [Elizabeth Eubanks] took several photos of Palin at the airport when she ran in to her on April 27th 2008."

"I already contacted that Elizabeth Eubanks woman who ran into Palin, and she was fairly dismissive and just said she "saw what she saw" and that Palin was pg."

If it was April 27, 2008, then according to the Sarah Party Line, Sarah would not have been pregnant. Allegedly, Trig was born April 18th.

I've felt for some time that Trig is Bristol's, born late Jan or early Feb 2008, which accounts for Sarah's calling McAllister to tell him that Bristol wasn't pregnant, and the AHA luncheon. I realize that Sarah is a huge liar but you don't become a huge liar overnight. I think she eased into it, telling us it was her "easiest pregnancy" and she was "only pregnant 1 month"- telling us the truth, but deceptively. And I think Bristol gave birth to Tripp 2-4 weeks after stated date of birth- because to support Sarah's story, the earlier that baby appeared, the better- and concealing him made no sense.

Trigg is wearing the same jacket in the RNC 9/08 pic and the Special Olympics 1/09 pictures. I don't know but with all the gifts pouring in from the SP fan club, did she really dress her little cutie in the same outfit for two high-profile events 4 months apart? And did he not outgrow the outfit in that time period?He's such a cutie pie. I hope he's getting all the good care he deserves.

Thanks, Amy1, for that link to the LKL interview. I don't know if this has been pointed out before, but during that interview, Sherri was talking about when things changed with the Palins.

At around 3:13 in that interview, she talks about how things started to chill down in November.

Sherri: "Not getting...um - as friendly."

It sounds like she was getting ready to say, "Not getting to see the baby."

At that point, there was only one baby - Trig. I truly think Levi's visits with Trig, who I think is his son, were curtailed after the election. Maybe the Palins were worried that the situation was being closely watched, and people would wonder why Trig was visiting with the Johnson family.

I wish someone would come forward and explain this whole mess of lies, but I'm not going to hold my breath. It might take years for the real story to come out.

From the pictures on the calendar and Bristol's 02/11 accident outside the Wasilla clinic I'm convinced Trig was born between 02/12 and 2/18 which is also when they discovered he had DS and therefore could not be adopted out and they quickly had to devise a plan. Sarah's is seen wearing that brown skirt/windbreaker outfit with the glow in the dark zipper (zipped up) no less on 02/11 or 2/12 but the first of her scarves starts on 02/18 in that newspaper photo. Even the expression on her face in the 02/18 photo and the way Todd is looking at her appears to show they were going through something at that time.